Devil at the Crossroads
by Hearts of Eternity
Summary: WE Universe. Most 'Cons would recognize Soundwave as one of the most loyal to their cause, but in the wake of Kaon's destruction the nature of his loyalty is questioned. Now at a crossroads, is he ready to make a deal with the devil waiting for him there?
1. Chapter 1

Another WE expansion fic to add to the pile, this time about Soundwave's character as he is in this continuality. This is a bit of a continuation from the expansion fic _When Heaven Fell_, and will be featured in the same three-part structure, so if you read that one first, this one might make better sense to you.

I hope you all enjoy!

_Nightshade- _The character is not actually mine, but a creation of a friend of mine's, **Violetlight**. She's very fond of this character, so if anyone wishes to use her, they should definitely see the mastermind behind the little spitfire femme.

_Waspinator- _A blatant allusion to that lovable bug from Beast Wars, but also an allusion to **Violetlight**'s universe as well, since she uses Waspinator as a symbiote for Nightshade.

This fic is dedicated to **Violetlight** as a Christmas/Solstice gift! I hope you enjoy your present! Oh- and thanks for the great editing! Even if this wasn't your Christmas gift, the fic would be dedicated to you just for that!

**Devil at the Crossroads  
****Chapter 1  
**"_Man can hardly even recognize the devils of his own creation."_-Albert Schwietzer

"Why?! Why in the pit did you do it?!" Nightshade cried as she stood trembling in her own fury before her mentor.

"She had you at her mercy."

Nightshade spat at the excuse. "I would have been fine! I can take care of myself!"

"She could have killed you, _easily_, without remorse."

"That's exactly the reason why you shouldn't have let her get away! Now Flamewar's loose and capable of taking out any other given 'Con base she wants! You should have taken her down while you had the chance!"

"I was not willing to take the risk of having you harmed in the crossfire."

"I _told_ you, I can take care of myself. I'd like to think I was trained well enough to defend myself in combat."

"Apparently you cannot defend yourself well enough if Flamewar was able to twist you into such a compromising position," Soundwave pointed out.

Nightshade scowled darkly. "She took me by surprise, that's all. I wasn't expecting her to be-."

"-Using her full strength?" Soundwave intoned.

"No. To be so pissed off, so much so that it made her far too unpredictable," Nightshade informed. She turned her gaze aside, away from his master. "I couldn't calculate her movements."

"Which only demonstrates that you took a foolish risk in attacking her, and that I made the right decision in destroying her while you were in harm's way. If she was so unpredictable at the time, there's no telling how she would have responded, should I have attacked her."

"She needed to be taken out," Nightshade insisted. "It shouldn't have mattered what happened to me."

"It mattered to me."

Nightshade hissed, righteously angry against her unrelenting master and the fugitive he allowed loose. While a part of her spark rejoiced in the fact that Soundwave held her in such high regard that he had let Flamewar go in order to save her life, another part of her was furious that because he'd spared Flamewar's life, other mechs were calling him a traitor. They were calling him _weak_. He should have just shot Flamewar and not have to suffer through the blasphemy.

Catching her second wind, Nightshade flung her arm back to the wide bay windows of the _Leviathan_'s observatory deck, motioning violently to the burning base growing smaller below them.

"Look at what sparing her cost us!"

"It was only a base. It was going to fall regardless of whether or not I let Flamewar go, Virus saw to that when she infected the mainframe."

"Just a base_?_ That was _my_ home! Our home! Home to every single mech in the base!" Every pitiful possession she owned had been in Kaon, probably now charred black in the fires. Nothing left but ashes.

"You will find a new home in Polyhex when we arrive," Soundwave said firmly, almost making it sound like an order.

"Polyhex is nothing but a smear on the landscape. I'd let myself rust before I ever call that place _home._"

Fully aware that the fiery nature of his apprentice had always been her hubris, Soundwave straightened to his full height, ready to remind her that her emotions were not to get the better of her over such trivial things. He understood that she was angry over the fact that she was dispatched so easily by her ex-commander and in pain in the aftermath of having her symbiote crushed, but she had to learn to _control _her volatile reactions to such situations.

"Nightshade-."

Knowing the admonishment to come, Nightshade bristled, backing down a step. "Ployhex is a second rate base and you know it. Its communications division is lacking, at best, and its defences are practically nonexistent! We'd be better off in a Scrapion junk heap!"

"It is the refuge we have been given for now and you will accept that."

"This is absolutely ridiculous! You let a pair of crazed femmes destroy one of our best strongholds on Cybertron, every fragging possession we've ever valued is up in smoke, and we're being demoted to a second rate base that I _doubt _can even transmit a binary message over their sub-par transceiver units, and you think I'm just going to comply?"

He stared at her rigidly, unrelentingly. "Yes."

Before she could spit a seething retort, the door at the far end of the observatory deck cracked open, several pairs of glowing optics peering in from the shadowed hall beyond.

"Soundwave?"

"Rumble, come in," Soundwave ordered, waving his symbiote into their company.

The small bronze bot nodded and pushed the door open wider, trotting in with his fellow symbiotic brethren close behind.

"We fixed him up good, like ya asked us to," Rumble informed, waving a hand to the small frame balanced precariously on Ravage's back. "Useless thing, but he'll live."

Soundwave rewarded the mech with the barest of smiles hidden behind his battlemask, nodding. "Good. I had hoped the damages were not too extensive."

Nightshade stared hard at the dark hump Ravage sported, watching as it twitched weakly, giving off a gentle buzz. She gasped, realizing who the quadruped was playing courier too. "Waspinator!"

Ravage turned to the side to allow the femme better access to her symbiote. "Be careful, he is still in a fragile state," he warned, his deep voice vibrating through the shadowed deck. "Rumble may be the only one of us with hands, but he can't handle a welding torch worth slag."

"At least he didn't weld anything on backwards," Nightshade replied, obviously relieved as she checked her precious symbiote over.

"Ya know, that's kinda hurts," Rumble pouted.

"I've seen you with a welding torch, Rumble. There's always reason to worry," Nightshade said, holding Waspinator to her chassis gently. "But you did a good job." She hugged Ravage first, and then leaned over to hug Rumble. "Thank you."

Flustered by the affection, Rumble shied away, huffing. "It was nothing. We was just doing as we were told."

"Oh?"

The tallish microbot jerked his head in Soundwave's direction. "Big guy just said repair him, so we did. Thank him if ya want someone ta thank."

Her optics darted up stubbornly to meet her master's. Soundwave's gaze was even, while hers was still a little feral. "Don't think this is enough to make me forgive you," she snipped, even as her arms cuddled the weakly buzzing bug to her chassis.

"I did it for Waspinator. It was pointless to allow him to suffer."

"Right." She hardly believed that, but didn't voice the little sliver to gratitude she felt for Waspinator's repair. She huffed and turned back to him. "You _should_ have killed her on sight." She pressed, slipping right back into the argument she was so determined to have.

"Not unless I wished to harm you or anyone else unnecessarily."

"You're supposed to be a Decepticon; it shouldn't matter who gets hurt." Her shoulders sagged a little, her exhaustion catching up with her.

Soundwave's optics dimmed slightly as he recognized his apprentice's exhaustion. "Go to our assigned quarters and get some recharge," he commanded, firm enough for it to be an order.

Her optics flew up, aflame with the desire to fight back once more. She was not a youngling to be ordered to her room, but the stern look clouding her master's faceplate had her curtailing her words quickly. His voice swept over her, heavy and deep. An order not to be contradicted.

"Do it now."

His relentless stare was enough to finally force Nightshade's hand. Reluctantly, she braced herself to rise from the floor with Waspinator clutched to her chassis, only to find her master's hand wrapping around her and placing her on her feet with minimal effort. The gesture was kind, but she shook it off, bowing to him before slinking out of the observatory deck.

In the wake of her departure, the window-lined room was left in echoing silence.

It was a heavy presence that lay like an ominous blanket over the Communications Officer and his present symbiotes. While the mech's smouldering visor turned to the vast darkness of space that stretched out beyond the crystalline windows of the _Leviathan_, smudged and tarnished by the rising plumes of smoke from burning ruins of Kaon, Ravage and Rumble stood at their master's feet, waiting for some sort of sign.

Rumble glanced to Ravage, just as Ravage turned to exchange a meaningful look with Rumble. This was a familiar silence. They knew it well and felt it in the very brackets of their joints; a connection to a time and place long since passed when they all functioned on the informational hubs that used to circle Cybertron.

Soundwave had been the master on one of the hubs, he and his Creations looking after the many broadcasts that looped about their homeworld and surrounding colonies. It was busy work, of course, but there were times when Soundwave and his kin would be offered a short reprieve. That was when Soundwave would excuse himself from the company of his co-workers, drifting into the quiet, windowed gallery to stand against the crystalline windows and stare out at the stars as if discerning the great secrets of the past and future. He'd always done that, even before he'd become master of the hub- there was something in the stars that sang to his spark.

His Creations would wait in silence at his feet, as they always had from the day they had been brought online. They knew no other way. It was a routine they knew as instinctually as Soundwave knew to look to the stars. They waited for some word from him, _some sign_, of what their Creator saw in the vast reaches of space. Silence was all these times knew.

Only once had their perfect silence been disturbed. On an orn when Ravage, Rumble, and Frenzy had gathered comfortably at Soundwave's feet, their siblings already in recharge, Soundwave broke the silence, having finally seen something in the unending fields of stars.

"Many think the broadcasts we send out into the universe can go on forever," he'd said, startling the three. They had looked up at him for further understanding, but his gaze did not turn away from the stars, as if he could see the vast weaving network of signals and transmissions that crisscrossed the universe through the stars. "That is not true."

"It isn't?" Frenzy had pressed, leaning back against his brothers to look into his master's profile.

"No. Nothing is forever," Soundwave had replied. "Our signals will eventually encounter an obstacle and ultimately cease to exist. Everything ceases to exist eventually."

There had been such abject sadness in their Creator the orn he'd said those words. That had been their sign, the one they had always waited patiently at their master's feet to hear. A sign that all they knew would not last forever.

Not long after, the informational hub they lived on started to be peppered with different reports. Fights would break out here and there. Things would be awry in different sections of the cities. Discontent spread. Megatron revealed his true nature to the universe, separating himself from his peace-loving brother, the Prime. A war had begun. And then the High Lord had come for them, seeking Soundwave's gifts to be made part of his Decepticon army.

To ensure his own life, Soundwave had agreed. To save his Creations' lives, he entered into symbiotic contract with them. Their peaceful orns upon the hub were over.

They had become Decepticons.

And now, it seemed, they were waiting for yet another sign that only their master appeared able to discern from the darkness of space and the patterns of stars.

Unlike all those vorns ago when they had waited forever in silence, curled on the floor at his feet, this time it was brought to them rather quickly. Just as soon as Rumble and Ravage settled to the ground, prepared to wait for Soundwave for as long as it took, the mech released a sigh, one that spoke of the depth of the thoughts he had been mulling over.

His faceplate reflecting the same lonely, abject sadness they had only seen once before. Physically appearing to stand at some crossroads in life where neither path was clear nor good, Soundwave uttered the sign he had found.

"_Not all precious things are cherished by Decepticons." _


	2. Chapter 2

I promised myself I would wait to post this chapter, maybe even hope for another review or two, but I'm in such a good mood now that I completed all my exams that I don't want to wait any longer! To hell and be damned, I'm going to post chapter 2 of _Devil at the Crossroads_ with a smile on my face!

A little side note to everyone: since Christmas is coming up, I'm going to try to write up a couple one-shots as presents to friends on , as well as to very special readers/reviewers who've stuck with me through thick and thin. I'm pretty sure you all know who you are! Of course, with all the gift writing, the next chapters to _As We Come Together_ and _Serendipity Kiss_ may be delayed. I'll do my best to get them done, though. Thank you for understanding! Hopefully I will have the gift-fics up soon!

My sincerest thanks to the wonderful and kind and generous reviewers **Litahatchee**, **Bunnylass**, **Violetlight**, and **Lecidre**! Thank you so much for taking the time to write out a review. I really appreciate it! Love to you all during this festive season!

_Dedicated to __**Violetlight!**__ Merry Christmas! _

_**Nightshade/Waspinator_- the combo belongs to **Violetlight.** Their partnership is her brainchild. :) **

**Devil at the Crossroads  
****Chapter 2  
**"_May the devil make a ladder of your backbone - While he is picking apples in the garden of Hell"_ Old Irish toast quote

Rumble tapped listlessly at the control panel he was stationed at, frowning mulishly at the keys. "Tell me again why we're here," he whined, craning his neck around to peer at his cohorts trapped in the dingy command center with him.

"Because the Decepticons don't think Soundwave is valuable anymore, so they shucked him here," Nightshade replied.

"But why are _we_ here?" the bronze mech pressed, pouting.

"Because we have a deep seated loyalty for Soundwave and are unwilling to abandon him, unlike all the other ungrateful slag heaps who just tossed him aside," the femme said without even looking up from her work.

"No, really- why are _we_ here," Rumbled continued to whine.

Nightshade glanced up, her optics glinting. "Alright, fine- how about because _I_ have a deep seated loyalty to my master, and _you're_ too stupid to survive without him. Does that compute with you?"

Rumble's faceplate creased into an impish smile, pleased to have gotten the rise he wanted. He was quick with a snappy reply, "An' here I thought it was the other way around, 'Shady."

"There's a big difference between lying to yourself to make you feel better and all-out delusions of grandeur," Nightshade pointed out, rolling her optics.

Ravage glanced up from where he lounged on the floor. "I don't think our dear Rumble has quite figured out the difference yet."

Nightshade laughed, always one to enjoy the quick-witted acidic humor Ravage offered. "No, I don't suppose he would have yet," she conceded. "I do believe knowing the difference would require the intelligence of a youngling, at least."

Ravage offered a fanged grin to Nightshade, utterly pretending Rumble was no longer in the room. "A youngling's intelligence at the _minimum_, which we both know he hasn't graduated to yet. Too bad he'll never reach that level. Soundwave always did have such high hopes for him."

"Master Soundwave only ever wished the best for each of us," Nightshade intoned mock-solemnly, over-acting her part but having fun anyways as she razzed her 'brother'. "It's so sad to see his dreams be crushed by a mech with less computing power than a decommissioned drone."

"Har har, ya acid-washed pit hounds. I'm still here, ya know," Rumble cut in, unnecessarily reminding them of his presence.

"How could we forget? The intelligence of the room keeps going down because of you," Nightshade laughed, shrugging carelessly. Ravage barked a laugh.

Rumble, in all fairness, knew the game was all meant in a cruel sense of fun, and he would play along on any other orn given another symbiote was on the chopping block, but for now he expressed an exaggerated pout and patted his chassis above her spark. "All this negativity hurts right here, right where my spark should be, ya bunch of sparkless fraggers."

"And I bet it hurts you here, too," Ravage countered, pointing to his head, "right where your processor should be."

"If yer not careful, I might just leave ta somewhere where I'm better appreciated," he threatened haughtily.

"Good luck finding a place like that," Ravage laughed.

The bronze-plated mech huffed, putting his olfactory sensor to the air with the right amount of mock-haughtiness to make him look ridiculous. "Just because Soundwave likes me best doesn't mean ya have ta be so jealous."

"What was that about _delusions of grandeur_ we were discussing earlier?" Ravage snorted.

"Alright, I'm definitely starting to get the feeling of un-love around here." He pouted pointedly in his quadruped-brother's direction.

"I wonder what would give that impression?" Ravage sneered.

"I could always leave," Rumble threatened.

"Awww, really? Don't get my hopes up."

Rumble grinned, his optics sparkling wickedly. In one smooth move, he slide from his seat and sauntered to the door. "Well, if ya feel that strongly about it, I might as well leave my work in much more capable hands." He darted from the dingy command center before he could be shot down and dragged back to his station.

Nightshade blinked once, and then laughed once she realized what happened. Next to her, Waspinator buzzed a tune that reflected his master's sudden burst of mirth.

Ravage snorted, getting up from his spot on the floor and stalking over to the vacated station his brother just abandoned, as if making sure his brother was really gone. "Did he just-?"

"Yeah, he did. Rumble just pulled a fast one on us," Nightshade confirmed, shaking her head. "Half-bit little bugger probably had it planned from the start."

Ravage pulled himself up into the chair, balancing there on his haunches. "I doubt it," he replied, extending his claws in order to use them as improvised fingers on the controls. "He has a hard enough time thinking a few astroseconds ahead."

"Too true," Nightshade conceded with a knowing nod.

"Had he even bothered to think this through a few breems ahead, he would have realized what's going happen to him tonight after he goes into recharge."

"And what would Rumble have realized will happen to him tonight?" She cocked an audio in Ravage's direction while she sent a data stream to the nearest base concerning the information she'd just inspected and condensed.

"Leaving me his work only means I get to chew him apart limb from limb the moment he shutters his optics for recharge."

"Ah, I see. Obviously didn't think his plan through." She slanted a glance in Ravage's direction as the feline-bot tapped away at the controls, his tail-like appendage swaying like a metronome in order to keep him balanced on the awkward chair. "Of course, _you_ don't have to take his shift, you know."

"I know."

"Then why not save yourself the trouble and just let Master Soundwave get after him for slacking? You could go back to doing… whatever id was you were doing before."

Ravage shrugged as best he could with his awkward frame. "I'm fine. That's what siblings are for, after all: helping and ripping each other apart in their sleep."

"In a twisted sort of way, I suppose," Nightshade granted with a nonchalant shrug, somewhat glad she was created without real siblings.

* * *

Rumble, in a particularly jaunty mood now that he had managed to skip out on his boring-as-pit shift, found himself wandering around the half-lit corridors of the Quel-Caol outpost. Not the most stimulating of activities, but when stuck in an outpost whose most fascinating feature was a lump of oddly colored rust that seemed to move every time you blinked, there wasn't much to choose from in the category of 'stimulating activities.' Wandering around the corridors was easily the best of any of the options open.

As he breezed aimlessly through the sadly familiar halls, each one as derelict as the last, he contemplated the outpost which had become his rotting pit. Quel-Caol was quite possibly one of the most insulting places the Decepticons could have relegated Soundwave to. No. Correction; it was _the_ most insulting place they could have sent him to. Imaging, the Decepticon's third-in-command being shipped off to a hole-in-the-wall outpost like some malcontent grunt; it was insulting, to say the least. Infuriating at the most.

Of course, being stuck in the outpost only served as an all too clear reminder of how far Soundwave had sunk in the ranks since the orn he'd let Flamewar go.

"You know, you might want to be careful thinking so hard, Rumble. You might blow a fuse."

Startled from his thoughts, the mech glanced up in time to catch sight of a long, sleek frame lounging by an unrepaired blast-hole in a wall. She was a frivolously designed bot; sleek, but no speed or specific strength. The armor was aethectically pleasing, but didn't offer much in the way of protection. Of all the bots trapped in Quel-Caol, Harlotease had been there the longest, and her acidic delight whenever a new bot got shipped to the outpost was always a sore point for everyone.

Gathering himself quickly, Rumble was quick to make a snappy comeback. "Maybe I'd like ta blow a fuse with you." He bobbed his optic ridges for effect. Harlotease, who was hard to impress on a good orn, was less than entertained now.

"You couldn't afford to blow a fuse with me," she replied, tipping her sleek head to the side. Her optics, sharp like a pair of pinpricks, regarded Rumble with a certain kind of nasty delight. "You have so few to begin with."

Rumble sidled up to the femme's side, his tallish microbot status putting him nearly on par with the femme's shorter femme frame. "It's not the number of fuses I have, it's how I use 'em," he replied.

"And I'm sure you use them well," Harlotease purred, patting his head with the right amount of condescension to let the mech know she wasn't open to degrading herself with him just now. There were better things to do around Quel-Caol than interface with a little symbiote. Maybe tomorrow, if she was bored enough.

"Haven't heard a complaint from ya yet," Rumble shrugged. Knowing another opportunity with her would come soon enough, Rumble carried on in his wandering, leaving the femme to go back to her disinterested staring into space.

He perked up as a new sensation awakened in his psyche, tickling his thoughts in a way that caused him to cock his head and scratch at audio as if he could relieve himself of the feeling that way. The symbiotic contract he held with his Creator had long since become second nature to him, and with such familiarity came the ability to pick out certain moods drifting from Soundwave. What he was feeling now was… odd. It was a curious sensation he had never felt before; not happy or sad or angry or any particular emotion at all. It was just… there. Maybe a little determined, or perhaps scheming? It was hard to say. If the action of thinking could be put to an emotion, it would probably best describe what Rumble was feeling at the moment through his contract.

The odd feelings Soundwave was radiating guided Rumble's next steps. Taking a right, another right, and then sliding into a fallen out hole in the wall that served as the symbiotes' own personal 'secret passageway' through the outpost. Quickly carrying himself on sure feet to the source of the tugging in his spark, he exited in the barracks hall from a collapsed corner. Laserbeak was just gliding into the hall as he wandered towards the door at the end.

"Ya feel it too?" he asked unnecessarily.

The aerial bot bobbed her head once. "We all feel it." She fixed him with a sharp look. "Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"

"I'm- uh… taking a break."

"Sure you are." Obviously, Laserbeak believed in his honesty as much as Ravage believed in his intelligence. She landed gracefully on the floor next to her brother, a frown pulling at her long, pointed faceplate. "You're here to check on him too?"

"Yeah."

She nodded. "Good. The others are busy, but they want to know what's happening."

They drew abreast of Soundwave's rooms quickly. They had once belonged to Harlotease, but upon their arrival, she had been more than happy to relinquish them for a few trivial things; cuts in shifts and a handful of off-the-record favours Soundwave was able to provide, though he refrained from discussing the nature of the favours afterwards.

Rumble stopped short of the door, glancing to Laserbeak's awkward form as she waddled next to him. "You go first," he offered, graciously taking a step back to make room for her.

"Coward," she scoffed. The door crunched on its gears, and then slid open with a horrid death-groan.

Soundwave was not where they expected him to be. Normally, when he was off duty and not contemplating the stars from the roofless section of the outpost, which had been made so through vorns of bombing and a lack of interest to repair it, Soundwave could be found in his quarters, contemplating the vastness of space through the single, grimy window in his room. After all this time, he would still look to the stars as if he were searching for the answers to mysteries that only the stars knew. In a sense, to know something in their master hadn't changed from the war was comforting. In another sense, it was sad to think that the loneliest part of their master still stirred within in him and they were unable to help him in any way.

But today, Soundwave was not at the window.

Before Rumble could call out into the semi-darkness, Laserbeak butted his arm, directing his attention to where their master's spark pulsed strongest. Light from an active monitor cast shadows across the wide, low-ceilinged room, Soundwave's large form silhouetted against the source. He was not moving, solely focused on the screen. A deep, rumbling undertone drifted throughout the room, revealing that he mech was indeed speaking with someone.

Rumble made a move towards him, but Laserbeak held him back. _"He's talking to someone," _she transmitted.

Rumble resisted the urge to reply with a 'duh'- instead, he transmitted back, _"The command center didn't pick up any outgoing calls." _

She rolled her optics, backing away slowly. _"Don't make me remind you of his expertise, you idiot." _As quietly as she could, she crawled into the barren corner where a lone berth was shoved, indicating that Rumble should follow suit. _"We'll wait for him to finish."_

"_Fine." _Clambering onto the berth, Rumble scooted back until he was against the wall. As an afterthought, he slung an arm out and captured Laserbeak, drawing her to him in a brotherly sort of way, only to shove her away when she hissed and snapped at him, catching his fingers in her razor-lined beak.

Soundwave paused, a smoldering flicker of red light casting across the room as he glanced back at the pair. They were instantly silenced. He went back to his conversation without another word.

Rumble glanced to his sister. _"You're fault." _

"_You wish." _

It was not long before Soundwave was pushing away from the too-small desk, the ancient monitor he'd been using left dark and dead. Rumble, who managed to doze off while waiting, was snapped back to reality by a sharp pinch to his side courtesy of Laserbeak's beak. The peculiar sense the pair had felt before was somewhat soothed now, replaced by another feeling that resounded in their contract-bond overwhelmingly. Again, it was hard to place the particular feeling.

"Is everything all right?" Laserbeak asked, peering up into the shadows in order to find her Creator's visor.

It took a moment for Soundwave to decide on an answer. "Yes," he finally replied. "Everything is all right now."

"Who were ya talking to, big guy?" Rumble enquired, and then flinched when Laserbeak reprimanded him for his rudeness with another sharp nip. "I mean… if you don't mind me askin'."

There was something about his stance that caught the symbiotes' optics. He was standing straighter, taller, than he had in vorns, as if there was no longer an immense weight bearing down on him. It was strange to see this rejuvenated stance; strange, and yet wholly satisfying.

"I was speaking with an old acquaintance," the mech informed the pair, making no move to reveal the identity of said acquaintance. The tone of his voice was as even as ever; not a hint of affection or revile for whomever the acquaintance could be. He crossed the distance between them and took a seat upon his berth, allowing his Creations to take up perches upon his leg and shoulder. Once they were settled, he continued. "Doubtlessly, you and the others have noticed that these last few vorns have been rather difficult-,"

"Yer tellin' us!" Rumble cut in with an indelicate snort. "Difficult? Try damn near _unbearable_!" If being a symbiote in the Decepticon ranks was difficult before, it was damn near impossible to be one after Flamewar trashed Kaon and everyone thought their master was a traitor. Before they were shoved off to Quel-Caol, the vorns they'd spent amongst their own faction were like running acid through energon lines.

While Laserbeak was too far away to reprimand him with a bite, she glared nonetheless, but relinquished to the fact that her brother did have a point. "We have noticed a change in you over the last couple of vorns, especially since the Kaon incident," she said softly, rubbing her head along her master's faceplate. "You've become more withdrawn and…" she trailed off, unable to find appropriate words.

"More complacent with Decepticon demands?" Soundwave offered.

"Yes," the symbiote confirmed, ducking her head as if she were ashamed of the admission.

With a large finger that was more delicate than its size would dictate, Soundwave stroked the avian bot's head gently. "I understand. Do not worry." Hidden beneath his visor, his optics slid to the window, staring out at the stars. "My value to the Decepticons has long since decayed, which is more obvious now than it ever was before. My loyalty was to only Megatron, who was the only one I made a deal with to retain my position and keep you all safe."

"Megatron's been gone a long time," Laserbeak pointed out.

"Yes, he has, and the powers of this faction have shifted. Every last remaining mech who bore semblance to Megatron's power has either been demoted or eliminated." The hand stroking Laserbeak's head dropped back to his side. "I have allowed for my demotions without complaint thus far in order to spare you all from the backlash should I have resisted, but now…"

It was easy enough to put two and two together.

"Now you fear the others are planning for your elimination," Laserbeak said.

"It would seem that that would be the most logical course of action for them to take."

Rumble tensed, optics flashing. "Yer not gonna let them, are ya?" He stood, fists clenched. "We'll fight if we have ta."

"Everything I have ever done is to protect you," Soundwave said, his words settling like a physical weight around them. "I joined the Decepticons to spare the hub from destruction when Megatron came for me, and I entered into contracts with each of you to spare you from death."

"But we've fought just as hard as anyone!" Rumble protested.

"Yes, you have," Soundwave conceded. "However, none of you were _built_ for war. You've proven yourselves more than capable in battle, but I have done my best to protect you from many of the harsher realities-."

There was a soft knock at the door, and whoever was on the other side didn't wait for an answer. Nightshade popped her head in, Ravage slinking in between her legs, followed by the other symbiotes.

"Master Soundwave?" the femme intoned.

"Come in," Soundwave invited quietly. Sensing the atmosphere, and seeing the gathering on the berth, they all drew to their master, Nightshade taking her seat next to him, while the symbiotes crowded for a proper perch on his frame.

"They felt the need to come," Nightshade said, nodding to Ravage and the others. "They were worried, and so was I. We couldn't wait."

"It is fine." Soundwave raised an arm to wrap around his apprentice's frame, displaying a somber affection for her that she took gratefully. "Perhaps it is better you have come."

"What's going on?" Ratbat squeaked anxiously, his wide optics growing bright.

"I will have you all know that I am proud of you," the mech said.

Buzzsaw sighed. "It's never any good when anyone starts a serious conversation with something like that."

"Listen to what I have to say first, and then make your own judgments," Soundwave said, focusing on his ragtag family. "All I wish to say is that nothing has ever made me prouder than the way each of you have held up for so long. Even in the face of immense adversity from the Autobots, as well as from our own faction, you all have been exemplary in your duties and conduct-."

A few discordant thank yous rippled in the semi-darkness. They weren't used to Soundwave being openly praiseful, so this made them feel both flattered and a little more anxious than before.

"Unfortunately, now has come a time when I can no longer stand back and allow things to carry on in the course they've been set."

Ravage growled darkly, a low sound that vibrated his frame. "What do you mean?"

"The 'Cons want ta kill 'im!" Rumble suddenly snarled, unable to restrain himself. The sudden outburst caused the others to jump. "The ungrateful pit-slaggin' aft-fraggers!"

"I don't intend to let that happen," Soundwave intoned over the slight uproar produced in the wake of Rumble's interruption. "I have taken steps to ensure my safety, and, most importantly, the safety of all of you."

Nightshade tensed, catching on to the undertone that laced her master's voice. She looked to him with questioning optics. "What have you done?"

Again, his optics drew to the stars, which he contemplated before answering.

"I have made a deal, of sorts…"


	3. Chapter 3

The very last chapter of Devil at the Crossroads! It's a little anticlimactic, perhaps, but, all the same, I do hope you enjoy this last installment!

As the first and second chapters had been, this last chapter is for Violetlight, whose friendship and editing skills have meant the world to me. Thank you so much, my dear! You've been too wonderful! :)

Extra-big hugs and love go out to the reviewers of the last chapter- **Bunnylass, Chloo, Bluebird Soaring, Silveriss, Lecidre, theshadowcat, **and **Lady Tecuma**! You're all the best! Thank you so much for the wonderful words of praise! And all the love you've shown! You all deserve a huge hug!

Credit goes to where credit's due: Violetlight, Nightshade and symbiote belong to you! :)

**Devil at the Crossroads  
Chapter 3  
**"_Somehow our devils are never quite what we expect when we meet them face to face."- _Nelson DeMille

_Here, of all places…_

Soundwave let his gaze wander briefly over the deadened ruins of Kaon, crumbling and black from fire and vorns of neglect. Time had oozed by in a painfully slow and horrid manner since last he'd stood amongst Kaon's remains, yet he could still conjure with perfect clarity the stark strength of the Decepticon stronghold as it had once been. Once a city that glittered like a black jewel set into a metal basin in Cybertron's surface, surrounded on three sides by high, jutting metal faces, cast in shadow for most of the vorn, it had been an ancient and brooding city of shadow and festering darkness. It had always been the haven for the dark-sparked, a lure to those with minds shrouded in shadow. It was a refuge for the crooked and evil. Kaon's ancient roots had been transformed from the moment Megatron had laid claim to it as his home and base for all Decepticons. Seemingly overnight, Kaon had been changed forever from an ancient city to a military base. Twisting spires and decorative statues that had stood for hundreds of vorns in pavilions and dotted the cityscape were ransacked and melted down. Barriers rose, barracks and operational buildings took root. A cold power had taken hold of the city and moved it in way that no one ever dreamed possible, the soul of the deep-set land stripped bare and broken down to its essentials, only to be raised once more as an aloof base, untouchable. A haven to all Deceptions.

…_of all places…_

Now it was nothing more than a hollow shell; another sad and rotting corpse to add to the millions dotting Cybertron.

As far as Soundwave could tell, those who were to meet them in this place were already present. They lurked beyond sight, in the rotting shadows and putrid filth. They were watching from a distance, measuring him for his worth, seeing if he had come armed for a fight or a deal. The crawling sense their unseen optics left on his armour made him feel unclean; it was an oozing sense or morbid interest, tracing him and grinning, hungry and poisonous. He stared into the grey half-light dispassionately, trying to determine the source and direction of the spark resonances he sensed. The tech being employed by the lurking bots was weak, so much so that Soundwave could practically _hear_ the rumbling death groan of the pathetic dampener, but distance worked against him in this case, unable to get a clear fix on the fuzzy signals.

"Stay on guard," he warned, only to have Nightshade pause a few steps behind him, nodding curtly. It was a needless order, of course, since he already knew her long-range scanners had been active since the moment they'd landed, but they both felt marginally better to have that order lingering in the air.

"Do you believe they are near?"

"Very."

As clearly as Soundwave knew they were near, he knew they were regarding his apprentice with as much vivid interest as they were viewing himself; small and young as she was, she still posed a possible threat if provoked. If Nightshade was deemed an exceptional risk to the deal, everything would fall through and Soundwave would be left with very few options to protect his own. In the worst case scenario, she would be shot, or _infected_, before he could intervene, and he would be forced to retaliate with whatever means necessary. Instead of disapproving of her natural youth, he hoped today it would play in her favour.

In the same vein of thought, Soundwave had already taken the precautionary action of safely storing his symbiotes away in their compartments. Not only was it for their safety should this deal go awry, but also for the reason that their separate presences might have been enough to spook away those he'd come to see. Close at hand as they were, Soundwave could sense their collective anxiousness over the situation and he did what he deemed appropriate to sooth them. When Ratbat suggested they turn back and consider a few more options, the others quickly rallied behind him. Soundwave, unfortunately, was not to be swayed.

"Why here?" Nightshade suddenly asked, running her hand along what once had been the inner walls of their Kaon base. Her hand came away dirty with soot.

"For a better sense of irony, I believe," Soundwave ventured.

"The irony is a nice touch," she commented absently. She straightened, stretched, and then realized a shadow had moved. With a subtle jerk of her head, she sent Waspinator out to see to the occurrence, only to watch as several heavy black cables shot out from a pile of rusted slag, reaching for her symbiote. The instant thrill of fear that shot through her spark was enough to cause the insectoid symbiote to recoil, missing the viral injectors by a mere breath of air. He was summoned back immediately.

"They're over there," Nightshade announced needlessly for her Master, drawing her rapier to prepare for the creatures she knew were about to emerge. Even in a single glance, she recognized the dark cables; not many bots were equipped with viral injectors quite like thoses.

Soundwave's large hand on her shoulder stilled her. "We are not looking for a fight," he reminded, to which Nightshade warily replaced her weapon in subspace.

"You made a deal with _them_?"

The darkness that crossed Soundwave's was almost palpable. "I did not make this decision lightly."

Nightshade was on the verge of informing her mentor he shouldn't have made the decision at all, but decided better of it when the mercenaries began to emerge from their hiding places. First came two short, thick behemoths, both looking a little patch-worked in their ragtag armour of blacks and blues, thickly layered in dents, pockmarks, and rust. One had an obvious set of wings protruding from his frame, but he was so thickly built that it would have been a miracle to see him off the ground. The other was devoid of wings, and by the dull look his faceplate appeared fixed in, he was also devoid of any greater intelligence. They took up flanking positions to allow the rest of their small party through.

A low hiss rattled from deep within Nightshade's chassis as the next mercenary came into a dim mote of grey-light: _Flamewar._ They didn't need their resonance scanners to identify her spark resonance, she was in the exact same frame she'd always inhabited, only a little more pockmarked than before, and with a few new, _deadlier_ additions. She looked more feral now, as if vorns as a mercenary had made her lose a few pieces of the mind she had left. Soundwave tensed, shifting carefully to place himself subtly in front of Nightshade, not to shield her from attack but to prevent her from attacking. When the femme made a move to step around her mentor, Flamewar gave a short burst of sharp laughter.

"Think carefully about that. Last time didn't exactly turn out in your favour," she warned.

"This isn't last time, now is it?" Nightshade countered.

"Calm yourself," Soundwave warned darkly, which his apprentice did well to obey before the order was enforced manually.

"Back down, Flamewar," growled the last approaching shadow. Flamewar went rigid, and then reluctantly acquiesced to the order like a puppet helpless to the strings she was tangled in. She stood aside for the thick-set shuffling form prowling behind her, allowing the quadruped to step into the light.

Soundwave offered a miniscule bow, which barely counted as a tip of his head. "Virus."

"Soundwave." She was scarcely distinguishable from the rotting scrap around her, blackened armour grimed with dirt and caked with dried energon, most of her armour flaking from rust degradation. It was little insulting to hear the dry grating of her frame as neglected parts scraped together, knowing that she had lain in wait without a sound previously. While her viral injectors remained safely coiled away in their inner compartments, the armour-shearing fangs that lined her too-broad faceplate glittered in the dim light from something wet and dripping. Deep-set optics regarded them mockingly, and she settled heavily on her haunches a short ways in front of them as if they were on familiar terms.

"I believe you contacted us?" the beast began.

"I did."

"Care to reiterate the terms of you proposition? I don't believe my comrades believed me when I first suggested it to them." Most notably, Virus's optics slid to Flamewar, whose mouthplates curled into a distasteful snarl.

Soundwave merely stared flatly. "When I first contacted you, I proposed that you allow me and mine to join your," he paused, trying to come up with an appropriate description of what the quadruped did, "_business._"

"You did_ what?"_ Nightshade hissed incredulously.

"You heard him," Flamewar laughed scathingly. "He wants to join our merry little band." She glanced back at Worm and Trojan, both of whom appeared to be laughing dully without noise. "I bet he thinks we're all fun and games compared to the main Decepticon forces; a little vacation from all the _hard work_ he's been doing," she mocked, only causing the two mechs to shake harder with silent laughter.

"That is not it at all," Soundwave countered calmly.

Flamewar snorted, sidling up next to Virus's side. "Oh? Care to enlighten us disbelievers, then? I'm sure whatever explanation you give will be optic opening." Her words all but dripped with venom. The vorns had not been kind to her, and she was not about to be kind to anyone else.

Virus nodded, laughing dustily. "If we are going to refuse you, we might as well know the offer we're refusing." She tipped her head to Flamewar. "Bad for business if we don't know exactly what we're turning down. Could come back to haunt us."

"I don't doubt it," grunted Flamewar, still venomous. "Of course, making a deal with _you_ in the first place could always come back to haunt someone, as well."

"It's a harsh business," the mercenary shrugged.

"So I've learned." Seven vorns had long since past, and still she was trapped in the hole she'd dug herself when she'd first turned to Virus for help. There was nowhere else on Cybertron that would take her now, and every orn she didn't know if she should be bitterly grateful Virus showed enough tolerance to allow Flamewar keep, or feel utterly wretched that she had ever made a deal with the beast in the first place. "Not every bot is cut out for being the universe's _bitch_."

A shadow of a scowl crossed Soundwave's features, which did not go unmissed by the mercenaries. "I do not intend to contract myself into your services the same way Flamewar foolishly did."

"You plan to join me without contract?" Virus asked, raising an optic ridge. "I don't offer free rides, and without a contract who's to say we won't kill you while you're in recharge? We could sell your parts to the highest bidder. You'd be worth a lot, once you were broken down." She looked him up and down appraisingly, as if determining exactly what pieces of him would be worth the most.

"I am far more valuable whole and functioning than sold for scrap," Soundwave pressed. "What I intend to propose is a partnership of sorts, or, in more familiar terms, a symbiotic relationship that would easily benefit us both."

Virus frowned, snorting roughly through her vents so that a puff of dust came out them. "Symbiotic relationships entail exchange on both sides, Soundwave. There's no way in the pit I'd pay anyone the slag off my claws to stick around. I get compensated for any and all work rendered, not the other way around."

"Of course, and what services I wish to purchase from you is an alliance, and a centered base with which to operate from without the threat of the Decepticons looming over my unit. In return for such long term services, I will be willing to work as you see fit. As you know, my communications skills are second to none. I would be a very valuable asset, should you allow me stay."

"You're skills _are_ rather valuable…" Virus conceded reluctantly. While gathering intelligence was a mightily paid service, not every mercenary was equipped to accept the contract; she and her kin were capable, but nowhere _near_ Soundwave's abilities. Of course, she was still curious of one thing. "Why contact me, of all the miserable bots on this planet? I never was a high ranking officer in the Decepticons, and, if it wasn't obvious by the state of repair of my kind, we don't exactly have exceptional resources to offer you. It would seem far for advantageous for someone like you to forge a contract with another Decepticon sect, or the Neutrals, if you're willing to sink that low." She refused to even consider the Autobot option, which was as low on her scale of revolting things in the universe as Starscream was.

"The Decepticons, the main forces anyways, are no longer my allies. It has been common knowledge for a long time that I present a substantial risk amongst the main splinter sects of the Decepticons for both my high ranking position and power, as well as for risk my data manipulation skills presents."

"You were also one of the most loyal to Megatron, if I remember correctly," Flamewar said. Virus's optics brightened with the mentioning of her Lord.

"Yes, you were very loyal to him, weren't you?" she queried.

"I held an agreement with Megatron, in which he assured the safety of my kin so long as I served him faithfully. He did not go back on his word, and I had no reason for my loyalty to falter in anyway," Soundwave informed, watching as Virus nodded approvingly. He decided to press his luck with the subject. "Seeing as our loyalty to Megatron and our reservations about the remains of the Decepticons are things that set us on common ground, I believed it was in my best option to come to you before any other mercenary, bounty hunter, or nomad group."

"We'll see if it was," the quadruped replied, nodding absently to herself as she began to tally her thoughts. "To get everything straight, what you are asking for is an open-ended bargain, isn't that right? You agree to work under my command for as long as it suits you, and as soon as a better opportunity comes along, you leave without looking back. Have I missed anything?"

"No."

Flamewar snorted harshly. "He's in symbiotic contract with half a dozen other bots, not to mention his little shadow over there-." She jerked her head dismissively in Nightshade's direction, who growled in return. "Even if he's able to work for his own keep, he hardly can cover the costs of _all_ of them. He's only one mech."

"You do have a valid point." Virus regarded Soundwave carefully, her expression making it seem as if she were considering possibilities already. "What do you suggest for your extra baggage?"

The ex-Communications officer paused, thinking. What hit him in the interval between one thought and the next was an overwhelming feeling from his symbiotes; they were willing to do whatever it took if this was what their master wanted most. "They will work."

Flamewar's gaze dragged to Nightshade, grinning poisonously. "Her as well?"

Nightshade opened her mouthplates to snap something out, but Soundwave beat her to it.

"Nightshade as well."

"I see…" Virus rose to all fours and shook herself off, shedding a sheet of accumulated dirt. "I will have to confer with my comrades on this matter-." She turned to wander back to Trojan and Worm, Flamewar turning to as well. Seeing this as his last option to gain Virus's interest in his proposition, Soundwave decided to reveal his trump card.

_"Straxsis-Delta-1880652-omnicron-6632546-haplar-kev-57833-thoron-breaker-anastryxsis-red-code-1209397732-."_

Instantly, the retreating pair froze. Flamewar turned to narrow her gaze on the mech. "What's he spouting?"

Virus cocked her head, listening as Soundwave paused, and then a new set of numbers and words came, quickly followed by another, and then another.

"They're access codes," she laughed. "To every major Decepticon base on the planet. _Impressive_."

Knowing that he'd gotten his point across, Soundwave quieted, staring down indecipherably into Virus's blunt faceplate. They remained staring for a long time, measuring the other for their worth, seeing if the consideration really was worth anything. Soundwave revealed nothing of his inner thoughts on his faceplate, nor in his rigid stance. He imposed on the landscape like a dark looming cloud, towering so high over Virus she had to crane her neck to see his faceplate. Virus was much the same, devoid of movement other than the occasional shuttering of her optics.

Finally, after far too long of doing nothing, the quadruped seemed to come to a decision. Her weight shifted back to her haunches, first crouching low, and then pushing upwards so she reared to her full, heavy height. She only came up to mid-chest on Soundwave, but extended a clawed appendage regardless.

"So long as your services cover your costs, I will accept your contract proposal."

Soundwave nodded, extending a large hand to scrape along the long, dangerous blades of the beast's paw. They had a deal now.

Nightshade shifted on her feet, not sure how to feel about this deal. "What now?"

Virus crashed back to all fours, causing a small tremor to run through the ground. "Now? Now you and your master get to earn your keep." Without looking back, she shuffled around and made her way back to where the _Darksyde_ laid in wait. Flamewar hung back, taking her time to glare as Soundwave and Nightshade passed. Trojan and Worm were not as aloof, though they refrained from coming near Soundwave. They flanked his apprentice and clapped her heavily on each shoulder in a manner that could possibily be thought of as welcoming, and then moved on as a hatch opened up in the side of a slag heap, which Nightshade was horrified to discover was actually the ship they were boarding.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me-!"

"Hurry up, get on board already. We don't have time to wait on you," Flamewar ushered impatiently, coming up behind the femme in order to shoo her along roughly. "You'll get over it soon enough."

Too disgusted by the state of the _Darksyde_, Nightshade was left speechless and unable to protest, but made sure all her limbs were kept close to her frame so as to touch as little surface as possible. There were no lights inside the _Darksyde_, so movement depended on proximal sensors alone, which came in handy when you didn't know if there was going to be flooring beneath your next step or not. A bit of illumination came from small panels here and there, and there was an odd squirming substance that grew in the corners that gave off an eerie bio-luminescence, but everyone appeared reluctant to touch it. The air was stale whichever way you turned, and the only way a fresh breeze wandered in was if there was already a hole in the ship. Engines wheezed as they ignited, powering up slowly in a way that felt reminiscent of an old bot living on his last dregs of life before his spark finally extinguished on its own. _Nothing _on the ship looked clean.

Coming onto the bridge, Soundwave could be seen standing near the centre of the room, observing everything, or the extreme lack-there-of, within visual range. Trojan and Worm were already at their stations, preparing the ship for take off. It took a bit of coaxing, but the _Darksyde_ finally took to the air, though something deep within the bowels of the ship sounded like it collapsed. The sharp jerk that rocked the ship knocked Nightshade from her footing, causing her to smack painfully into Trojan's broad shoulder. The behemoth smiled amusedly, righting the femme with a gentle care one would not expect from such a mech, and then took her hand to pat it once before going back to his work. Confused by the gesture, Nightshade stood awkwardly where she was left until Flamewar's increasingly familiar clawed hands grasped her shoulders and moved her to the open centre of the bridge where Virus and Soundwave stood.

"That mech-?"

"Doesn't have a vocal processor," Flamewar filled in. "Neither does Worm. You get used to it."

"But-."

The ex-Femme Commander rolled her optics. "He said 'welcome to the _Darksyde,_' if you're wondering. He means that in more ways than one."

Nightshade made a small noise deep in her vocal processor, wrinkling her olfactory sensor as she stumbled into the side of a relay station and came away caked in... _something_. She couldn't even identify the substance coating the console.

"This is the dark side, alright," the femme grumbled rottenly, trying in vain to wipe away the grime from her plating. This was, perhaps, the lowest point in her life. "Can't get much darker than this."

Soundwave, at the moment, was concerned with things other than the grime and how far he'd sunk to find himself _here_, of all places. He continued to look about his surroundings with a distant expression, as if trying to gauge how long the _Darksyde_ would stay airborne before it spontaneously combusted, exploded, or just plain died. Virus circled around the bridge once to inform Worm and Trojan where they were going and how fast they had to be there (in accordance with how well the ship was going to stay together at certain speeds), but eventually came back to Soundwave to watch him.

"You can let your symbiotes out, if you want," she offered. "There's not mucn on the _Darksyde_ they can break that isn't already broken." He nodded silently, the hatches on his back shifting open to allow several metallic forms to drop to the ground. They were all wary, huddling close to each other and their master's feet. Like everyone else who ever climbed aboard the _Darksyde_, they were reluctant to touch anything.

"Reconnaissance," Soundwave commanded. They nodded cautiously and left the bridge to explore the rest of the darkened ship, only a little fearful of what they might find in its rotting depths. As soon as they were out of sight, and Flamewar now busying herself with some cruel game that involved Nightshade and something she'd peeled off a wall, Soundwave glanced down to Virus. She had not bothered to stop staring up at him, as if waiting for his next question. "What is our destination?'

She smirked. Apparently that had been the right question. "There's a new client on the market; he's an infrequent patron, but pays well for all services. We're going to meet a drone of his."

"Do you already know the nature of what he's contracting you for?"

"More or less. He always requests the same thing from everyone, so says the rumours on the market anyways. I have a gist of what he might be asking from us; new material." She huffed a grating laugh, as if it were a funny joke.

"Material?"

Virus shrugged. "Autobot, Decepticon, Neutral, whatever he asks for. That kind of material."

He wanted to ask why they were referring to bots as material, but decided against it for the time being. Instead, he asked, "What does he use the material for?"

"Who cares? He pays well enough for us not to ask questions; our job is just to pick up the payload and deliver it wherever he wants. With abilities like yours, you'll be able to track us down a loner to hand over in no time."

"And this new client of ours, does he have a designation?"

At this, Virus paused, thinking carefully through every transaction and rumour she was privy to.

"I believe he's being called the Mastermind."


End file.
